Solace
by skysedge
Summary: A chance meeting offers solace for a demon with nothing to fill his time and a man with nothing to live for. Solace can as easily be found in service as it can be found in revenge. Discontinued
1. London Bridge

**A/N **I've been meaning to write a crossover for these two beautiful series for a very long time and when Savvi-Sin came up with this idea I knew I had to write it. As it stands, this can be either a oneshot or the beginning of a longer story. If you like this idea, _please_ let me know or I shall likely not continue it. This was written to give a little hope to the rather sad endings of both.

**Spoilers for the end of Godchild volume 8 (and the whole series) and for the end of the Kuroshitsuji anime (episode 24)**

Takes place perhaps a few months after the end of both series.

Kuroshitsuji (c) Yana Toboso and Count Cain/Godchild (c) Kaori Yuki

Lyrics at the start from the song 'Ishtar' by Girugamesh

-x-

_The flower that blossomed was named the flower of love,_

_And will know loneliness upon the surface of the earth_

It was clear that the person standing on the edge of London Bridge was going to jump. The dark waters of the Thames rushed past, ripples catching the silver moonlight. High above, the man stared down into the inky darkness with vacant eyes. One gloved hand was curled gently around a railing, while the other hung limply at his side. He was so alone on the bridge, so isolated, that it seemed as though the wind alone could cause him to fall. Yes, it was clear he was planning on leaving this world.

In the darkness behind the man, the demon scowled.

How pathetic. The man had been standing there for at least fifteen minutes and still hadn't stepped into the void. The demon had no patience for the fatalism of some humans but this indecisiveness irritated him even more. Humans were so weak, he reflected. He didn't know why he still haunted the streets of London when there was no longer anything tying him here, no longer anyone of interest. The demon's scowl deepened and he took a step forward, deciding to help the dithering man on his way. The hesitation was making him sick.

Because _he_ had never hesitated. Not at the end. The rest of humanity were but pale shadows compared to the vibrancy of that soul.

The demon approached on silent feet, clearing the railings with ease and landing on the edge of the bridge. The man did not hear him and continued gazing downwards. From here, the demon could see that the eyes searching the waters as though searching for justification were deep brown, matching the ruffled chestnut hair that was blowing in the wind. The man's face was sharp and refined, a stark contrast to his tattered clothing. The threadbare jacket was spattered with old blood.

The demon smiled and spoke in a gentle voice.

"What are you waiting for?"

The man started, fingers tightening reflexively on the rail they had only been pretending to hold before. Other than this, the man's demeanour did not change. He lazily turned his eyes towards the speaker to see a tall, slender figure clad in black. With skin so pale it shone in the moonlight the demon watched the man with eyes that burned like embers.

"What is it to you?" the man said, voice void of emotion.

"Nothing at all," the demon replied, stepping forward with a predatory smile. "Unless you're too weak to jump. If that's the case, I can assist you."

The man gave a scornful laugh and turned back to the water.

"A god damn Samaritan, are you? Not today, thanks."

The demon stopped a pace away from the man and raised a thin eyebrow.

"Oh, so you _are_ too weak."

The man snapped his head around to glare at the demon, cold fury blazing in his eyes. He let go of the railings and balled that hand into a fist. He opened his mouth as though about to defend himself but then closed it again with a sigh.

"What do you know about me?" he whispered, voice being snatched away by the wind. "And how the hell could you 'assist' me anyway? Give me a push, maybe?"

The demon chuckled, a low and dangerous sound.

"I can end it for you," it said in a silken voice. "The pain. The anger." He smiled and inclined his head slightly. "It's something I'd rather enjoy," he added.

The man laughed scornfully. "Don't think something like that is going to frighten me. Who the hell do you think you are?"

The demon parted pale lips to speak but then paused before smiling gently at himself. He had almost let slip the reply which came to him so naturally despite having only been part of his long life for a comparatively short time. That reply could not be used anymore. He didn't wish to say the words anyway. Not to this person. The man was grating on his nerves and was no longer an amusement.

"I'm a demon," he said, carefully not smiling, in the vague hope that this would push the man into finally making his mind up. There was something enjoyable about speaking so bluntly after years of constructing riddles and pleasantries.

To his surprise, the man laughed loudly and looked away.

"Funny," he said, "I don't think you're lying but you don't look demonic to me. I've seen people I knew to be men who looked far more evil..." He trailed off. "And those who earned the reputation undeservedly," he finished in a soft voice.

The demon waited. Perhaps this human was interesting after all. There was something in the man's voice that piqued the demon's curiosity, something raw and painful that reminded him of a human much younger. He wondered whether this person had a soul anywhere near as interesting, although didn't see this as being likely. For a few minutes, there was no sound other than the wailing of the night wind and the gentle noise of the water below. At length, the man spoke.

"I believe you. I'm ready to believe just about anything. And it doesn't matter to _me_ if the whole of London is filled with demons since there's nothing left here for me now. Not in the whole damn world."

The demon remained silent.

"Hey," the man said thoughtfully, eyes staring down but not seeing anything before them. "If you're a demon...what kind of things can you do?"

"I cannot raise the dead," the demon said bluntly, causing the man to raise his eyes in surprise. "Which is what you were asking. You've lost someone dear to you, yes? It's written in every movement you make and every word that passes your lips."

The man nodded slowly. "Fine. But you know, if you can read people that well, you should take a look in a mirror. What kind of person does a demon hold dear?"

The demon's eyes widened, crimson orbs burning in the cold darkness. The man was watching him with impassive eyes. This was comforting, somehow. He felt foolish; hadn't he become a master of deception by now? Hadn't he learnt to hide any stray emotion that may affect him behind a benevolent and slightly smug smile?

Perhaps this emotion was more than a throwaway feeling that would fade with time. If only he could believe that wasn't true.

Smiling again now, the demon bowed slightly to the man.

"Touché," he said softly. "What is your name?"

"Cassian. And yours?"

The reply was instantaneous as if they had met at a party or ball. Their breath fogged in the cold air before them. The demon hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Sebastian," he said, pronouncing the name slowly as though it was something to be savoured. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cassian."

Cassian shrugged and turned away again. "Yeah."

Sebastian tilted his elegant profile to one side, lips curving in a smile. Eyes latched on to the man before him, he smothered the sorrow he would forever deny feeling and was struck by an idea. He wondered if it was the best thing to do, if he was ready to involve himself in such a way again. Perhaps that was exactly what he needed. A distraction. A routine.

"Are you going to jump?" he asked suddenly, catching Cassian off guard.

"Polite, aren't you?" He said, running one hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Why? Do you want to give me a push?"

Sebastian chuckled.

"Not at all. I have a proposition for you."

"Fire away."

"I cannot raise the dead," he repeated, "But there is little else I cannot do. Surely there is something else you want to achieve in this world besides throwing yourself off of London Bridge?"

Cassian glanced up, his eyes darkening.

"Yeah," he said softly. "There is. I'd like to even the score. Too many people escaped the Tower of Babel. After what they did...after what _we_ did..." He bit his lip for a moment. "After what they did to him," he finished quietly before raising his voice. "I'd take them down with me if I could. Do you mean you can help me with that?"

Sebastian smiled and extended a pale, unblemished hand towards Cassian.

"How attached are you to your soul?" he asked in a silken voice.

Cassian glanced at the water below him for a moment.

"Neither of us are likely to reach heaven," he murmured to himself. When he raised his eyes again they were determined and lacking the emptiness of before.

"I sold my soul years ago," he said, taking the hand before him without hesitation.

"A fitting turn of phrase. Now, Cassian," Sebastian gave a predatory smile. "Tell me everything."

-x-

**A/N **Wouldn't Sebastian and Cassian make a fantastic duo? Anyway, let me know your thoughts lovies.


	2. Silence

**A/N **I found a way to carry this on while planning another fic, typically. There shall be five more chapters including this one, each one written as a sort of snapshot. They'll be in the right order, be linked to tell the story and I'll make sure you know how much time has passed so don't panic. **Thank you so much for the reviews!** I really didn't expect anyone but Savvi and myself to read this.

**Dedicated to my beloved Wifey. 62 days till London 3**

-x-

It felt _good. _

Razor talons ripped into the chest of the fleeing man and pushed harder, _deeper_, until they felt the cold air again. Blood ran in thick streams to the cobblestones below, black as ink in the darkness of the city night. A desperate scream dissolved into vulgar gurgling sounds as the talons were drawn back. As the body slumped heavily to the floor, a pink tongue darted out from between sharp teeth and licked the warm blood from the claws.

It felt sinful. It felt like betrayal. It felt like a relapse into a mode of being long abandoned and discounted as foolish. But more than anything, it felt like coming home after too long wandering in a desert of confusion and sickeningly human frailty.

Sebastian turned away from the fallen man and walked a few metres back down the alleyway, letting his hand fall to his side and a small smile twist his lips. He stopped as he reached a figure leaning against the wall. Now his boots had stopped clicking against the cobbles, the silence was palpable.

"Was that satisfactory?" His voice was the same as always, commanding and smug, even when spoken with a serpent's tongue.

"Better," came the reply. "I didn't expect him to actually think he could outrun you."

Sebastian bowed a little, the movement strange in a form made of shadows and sulphur. He knew Cassian was lying through his teeth, even if the man thought himself to be speaking the truth. He hadn't been a sadist when Sebastian had first encountered him six months before. Things like that didn't change in someone so fast. Cassian was clearly no stranger to violence and death but he had never struck Sebastian as cruel. He idly wondered why the man would pretend to feel emotions so unnatural to his personality but forced himself to stop pursuing the idea. What were emotions anyway, other than the sanctuary of the weak?

"That's the fourth," the demon said, turning to leave the alleyway. Cassian fell into step beside him. "What crime was this individual guilty of?"

Cassian's eyes darkened and he stared ahead as he answered.

"He was a scientist. I remember seeing him around. He was too ambitious by far and really _enjoyed_ experimenting on animals. He'd do it out in the main lab to attract attention."

Sebastian merely nodded his head, knowing that a third party would not have found the idea of experimenting on animals as something sinful enough to warrant murder. The demon was used to these strange explanations by now; Cassian would often fly into fits of rage and speak as though Sebastian were someone else. From the jumble of names thrown his way, Sebastian had come to learn a few and their standing in Cassian's mind. One Alexis was a 'sick and twisted bastard', while an 'old fool' named Zenopia 'wasn't bad so much as obsessed.' The most interesting of Cassian's rages would concern the name Cassandra. Whenever the man would speak of this person, he would absently trace a scar on his hand.

All of this taught Sebastian enough. He wouldn't ask for more information, didn't really care. Nor had he offered up any explanations himself, despite their frequent conversations. Nights were spent planning the next ambush or discussing the decline of London. They spoke of death frequently but never of loss or grief. The two names that rang in the silence with every breath were never spoken aloud.

This is why Sebastian did not ask why the animals were significant or what the lab had been used for. He waited patiently for Cassian to pick up on his words.

They rounded a street corner, Sebastian changing into something more appropriate before anyone had time to believe their eyes. They made a strange pair; Sebastian donning the butler uniform that felt like a second skin when out in public and Cassian still in threadbare garments that were in worse repair than those of a homeless man sleeping in a gutter nearby. Ignoring the stares they had become accustomed to, perhaps been used to all their lives, they walked silently.

At length, Cassian turned angry eyes upon his companion.

"'Crime'?"he repeated. "'Guilty'? You're not on about that again, are you?"

"I am not the one to blame," Sebastian said with a satisfied smile. "You are the one who is so fixated on morality and justification." Cassian opened his mouth to speak but Sebastian cut him off. "You may not realise it but you cling to morals foolishly like most humans."

"Bastard. I left my morals behind when I joined Delilah. I'm headed down below, no question."

Sebastian simply smiled, eyes burning with vestiges of hellfire. Silence descended again and they walked under the weight of words unspoken and accusations ignored.

-x-

"Why do you let me see?"

The candlelight flickered as Cassian swivelled in his chair to lean over the backrest and face the demon sitting quietly in the corner. Six months ago, he had been too afraid to turn and lay eyes upon the creature on dark nights like this despite everything he had witnessed. When they had met, Cassian hadn't doubted Sebastian's nature for a second; he could see the ancient cruelty in those eyes even through the sorrow. Contrary to common sense, demons were easy to believe in when the creature in question was dressed sharply, with a handsome face to match the clothes. When Sebastian had first showed himself as the creature he truly was, Cassian had found himself struggling to believe. It was too unreal.

"Why do you ask?"

A simple question, breathed between inhuman lips. Sebastian's boots reflected the candlelight as though they were made of oil, clinging to the slender legs that didn't look strong enough to support the rest of the body. A single black feather drifted to the floor.

"I've been thinking," Cassian said; he knew better than to admit to being curious. "When we met you were in a human form but you wore it well. You move awkwardly sometimes, when you're like this. That means you spent a lot of time as a human, right? Before."

Sebastian clicked his tongue and refused to acknowledge the question, rendering it as true. Cassian was right. It did feel strange, walking free like this. But, just like surrendering to bloodlust, it felt deliciously sinful. By betraying his former self he hoped to extinguish the unnerving flames of memory and grief that burnt as brightly as they had the day he had left the small, grey island.

"You dress in that butler outfit all the time, which means you were used to calling someone 'master', right? 'Sir'. That sort of thing. That would have sounded better coming from a butler than..." Cassian waved his hand vaguely towards the demon. "This."

Sebastian had lived a long time, served countless masters. _That_ master would be swallowed up in the flow of time like all the others. It was just taking longer than usual, that was all, wasn't it? His crimson eyes widened as his current master spoke again.

"It's because I'm not important. Isn't it?"

The words were simple and the tone matched, no bitterness or anger lacing the words. Cassian no longer wished to be important to anyone. He thought he had felt that, briefly. Responsibility. Every sleeping moment was plagued by the memory. He didn't want that again.

"You've never called me 'master'. Not that I want that at all. But it shows you don't care how I feel or whether I find your true form disgusting."

"Do you?" The question was whispered with closed eyes.

"No. And even if I did, being horrible on the outside means fuck all."

"Morality again."

"Bastard."

The silence stretched, measured only by the lengthening rivers of wax running from the candles to the tabletop. Crimson eyes met auburn from across the room, conflicted demon and damned human watched each other with empathy they refused to find words to express. The words remained unspoken.

_You are important._

_You're not disgusting._

_There are memories I need to hide from. I can't allow myself to think like a servant. Not yet._

_I don't have time to treat you like a friend. If I stop running down this path I'll trip and fall. I won't be able to get back up._

_I need tasks to occupy my mind._

_I need violence to satisfy my anger._

The flame drowned in molten wax and the room was plunged into darkness. Two silent voices begged into the night.

_I need you. Just for now. _

Sebastian stood suddenly and moved towards the bedroom, speaking over his shoulder.

"Something once lost can never be returned," he murmured, finding the familiar words sounded strange being spoken in his voice.

Cassian sat in silence. In the morning, both would deny the words had ever been spoken.

-x-

_Until I abandon hope, just like this,__  
__I'll always dream the same dream with you._

-x-

**A/N **Lyrics from Crying Rain by Girugamesh. Please review lovelies! Thanks for reading.


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